Across Europe, local and regional authorities play a central role in delivering the energy transition and are responsible for implementing around 70% of EU legislation. Yet translating climate and energy ambitions into concrete action often requires stronger coordination, shared expertise, and long-term collaboration across governance levels. The OCTOPUS project addresses this challenge through the creation of Enabling Organisational Networks (EONs), collaborative frameworks designed to accelerate the implementation of local climate and energy plans.
In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and its Department of Isère, France, OCTOPUS is building on existing cooperation dynamics to create a two-level, interconnected EON that strengthens coordination between regional and local actors and supports the implementation of Territorial Climate-Air-Energy Plans (PCAETs).
Strong ambitions and complex challenges
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is one of France’s largest and most diverse regions, encompassing metropolitan areas, alpine territories, rural communities, and industrial hubs. While most inter-municipal authorities are already engaged in implementing PCAETs, they often face common barriers, including uneven technical capacity, difficulties in mobilising elected representatives, and limited opportunities for structured knowledge exchange.
At the sub-regional level, Isère illustrates both the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition. While the department benefits from strong technical expertise and long-standing cooperation structures, continuous coordination and capacity-building remain essential to support local authorities in delivering their climate and energy objectives.
A two‑level EON: connected and complementary
To respond to these challenges, OCTOPUS is supporting the development of two closely linked EONs in the region:
- a regional EON coordinated by AURA‑EE, the Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes Energy and Environment Agency;
- a departmental EON in Isère, coordinated by AGEDEN, the local energy agency of the Isère department.
Rather than operating in parallel, these two networks are designed to reinforce one another, ensuring consistency between regional strategies and departmental realities, and creating a seamless flow of information, tools, and experience.
The regional EON
At regional level, the EON brings together State services, departmental councils, energy syndicates, and local energy and climate agencies, covering Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes all 13 departments. The network combines a core group of departmental facilitators responsible for coordination with a wider community of operational partners involved in PCAET implementation.
The regional EON focuses on identifying common barriers, aligning practices across departments, and ensuring that regional initiatives effectively support local action.
The Isère EON
In Isère, OCTOPUS builds on more than a decade of cooperation within the Technical Committee for Ecological Transition (Cotech-TE), a coordination platform bringing together local authorities and public bodies working on climate and energy issues. Facilitated by AGEDEN in partnership with the Isere Department and the Departmental Directorate of Territories of Isère (DDT38), the network already connects around 75 stakeholders from local authorities, public institutions, regional parks, energy syndicates, and organisations involved in the energy transition.
By building on these existing structures, OCTOPUS is helping to align practices across territories, strengthen cooperation between governance levels, and connect local implementation efforts with regional and European initiatives.
Clear needs identified by local stakeholders
The design of this two‑level EON is grounded in an in‑depth needs assessment. This analysis highlighted several recurring expectations from territorial stakeholders:
- Better cooperation and coordination between local, departmental, and regional levels
- Stronger experience‑sharing, including successes, difficulties, and concrete solutions
- Improved visibility of local actions at regional and national level
- Access to clear, up‑to‑date information on tools, funding schemes, and key contacts
- Support for newly elected officials, to quickly build understanding and ownership of energy‑climate issues
These needs shape an EON model that is deliberately flexible, practical, and service‑oriented, designed to reduce isolation and empower local facilitators.
How the EON works in practice
The French EON combines regular peer-learning activities with targeted capacity-building actions, including:
- Network update cafés that enable informal peer exchange among facilitators on concrete coordination challenges.
- Thematic webinars and expert interventions respond to emerging needs, such as climate adaptation, energy sobriety, or financing mechanisms.
- A working group on mobilising newly elected officials co‑develops strategies and tools adapted to different territorial contexts.
- A collaborative mapping of departmental ecosystems identifies key actors, roles, and resources to improve accessibility and clarity for local authorities.
In Isère specifically, AGEDEN is organising a series of workshops for both elected representatives and technical staff, covering topics such as territorial strategy, resilience, public building renovation, and summer comfort.
Towards a replicable model for multi‑level cooperation
What makes this network particularly valuable is its multi-level structure: a regional framework that strengthens existing departmental dynamics rather than replacing them.
By supporting local energy-climate facilitators, fostering collective intelligence, and connecting day-to-day implementation with strategic governance, the EON offers a model that could inspire other regions facing similar challenges.
Through OCTOPUS, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Isère are demonstrating that effective climate action depends not only on plans and targets, but also on the networks that help bring them to life.
